Fernando Llorente has revenge on his mind as he prepares to face Liverpool for new club Napoli in the Champions League after losing to them in last season’s final.
The 34-year-old came on as a late substitute for Tottenham Hotspur during their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in June and is in line to feature against them again in the competition for Napoli.
Llorente sealed a move to Carlo Ancelotti’s side last month after his contract with Spurs expired and he has made one substitute appearance for his new side so far.
Napoli failed to progress from a group containing Liverpool last season but Llorente believes they have the quality to emulate Spurs by reaching the final this time around.
‘Last season’s final was very painful for me. I want revenge and I want Napoli to show that they’re on par with a very good team like Liverpool,’ he said.
‘Of course [we can reach the final], even if it’ll be difficult. We’re thinking game by game: after Liverpool, we’ll have to face two other teams.
‘It’s never easy and if you waste a game, the group becomes complicated.’
Napoli troubled Liverpool in last season’s competition, beating them 1-0 at San Paolo before losing by the same scoreline at Anfield in a result which sent the Reds through at their expense.
Ancelotti was backed in the transfer market during the summer with Hirving Lozano and Kostas Manolas the standout recruits, joining from PSV and Roma respectively.
Despite losing 4-3 to Juventus, Napoli have enjoyed a decent start to the season, winning their other two matches including a convincing 2-0 victory over Sampdoria on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp clearly rates Liverpool’s opponents, calling them ‘cheeky b******s’ during his pre-match press conference on Monday.
